Losing Sleep For a Friend
by everfaraway
Summary: Peter wakes up in the middle of the night after hearing Rocket yelling & can't get back to sleep until he knows that Rocket is okay. Instead of Peter finding Rocket, Rocket finds Peter. Hints of Rocket's past, Pocket Bromance, slight language. Tiny spoiler if you haven't seen the movie.


**_Author: I know that Groot/Rocket & Gamora/Peter are the "canon" pairs  
><em>**_**but Rocket/Peter is becoming my favorite. I think they **_**_compliment each other  
>well &amp; they are both smart asses. I own nobody. If I did, Rocket would be cuddled.<em>**

"Get your frackin' hands offa me!"

Peter's eyes snapped open and he sat up slowly.

"Stop it! I said STOP!"

"Rocket?!" he called, climbing up the ladder that seperated his bunk from the rest of the ship.

The ship was dark and Groot was still asleep in his pot on the table.

The little sapling was taking his time growing, only being maybe half Rocket's height minus the pot.

"Rocket?" he called again softly.

No answer and no more shouts in the dark.

Had he just imagined it?

No way he was going back to sleep until he knew for sure.

Drax had made himself a little area to sleep in their "armory" where they all kept their Ravanger outfits, Gamora's Godslayer and Rocket's Laser Cannon. The Hadron Enforcer had a special place of honor in the middle of the small room.

Peter stuck his head in and glanced around to see if maybe, just maybe Rocket had come to tinker with something then fell asleep.

It wouldn't be the first time but Drax usually made sure he went to bed or at least had a blanket.

But there was no sign of Rocket and Drax seemed to be sleeping pretty peacefully for the first time in a while so Peter didn't disturb him to ask after their resident furry psychopath.

"Well at least he's not blowing holes in my ship with the Enforcer." he chuckled.

Although... the Laser Cannon hadn't been in it's usual spot.

"Hey Rocket? I hope you aren't doing any sort of target practice on my ship." he called softly, sticking his head into the little common room near the back of the ship.

"Peter?" Gamora asked, sitting up where she had curled up on the couch to sleep.

"Sorry. I thought I heard something. Have you seen Rocket?" he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not since dinner. Have you checked the engine room?" she yawned.

The engine room... Rocket had made himself a workshop and bedroom down there.

Maybe Rocket liked the fact that it was always warmer there than anywhere else on the ship.

"Thanks. Sorry for waking ya up." he whispered.

Gamora pulled her blanket up to her neck and called, "Peter. When you find him, tell him to stop leaving his trinkets on the floor."

"I'll tell him. No guarantee's it will happen. Night." Peter chuckled.

The engine room was a little bit cooler than usual since they were using a lot less power and Peter suddenly wished he had grabbed a warmer shirt. "Rocket? You down here?" he called.

No response.

"Might as well have a look around." Peter shrugged.

There was a little metal table covered in bits of wire, various tools, batteries, rough sketches and half built weapons. A pilfered shirt (from where Peter really was curious) lay over the back of the chair and a bundle... no a nest... of blankets was built under the table. "Please don't bite, scratch or kill me if I wake you up." he whispered, brushing blankets aside but no black mask or ringed tail emerged.

Rocket's bedroom was nothing more than a storage closet that he had claimed for himself. And amazingly the door was unlocked. "Hey buddy... don't shoot me for comin' into your room please?" Peter called uneasily as he stepped inside.

A holo set Rocket had rigged near the bed was playing in a language that Peter's translator was struggling with.

"Subject 89P13's body has responded well to his cybernetic implants but... Will be kept in isolation... render it potentionally..."

The images playing were more than enough to make up for the non translated audio. It was video of Rocket being strapped down and having wires attached to the implants Peter had seen at the Kyln. And unless he was seeing things, a thick bundle of wires were actually disappearing into the largest of the implants between Rocket's shoulder blades.

"Damn." Peter whispered, tapping the screen to turn it off.

A quick glance around the room told him Rocket was not here.

He would have never been allowed to see what little of that video he had if Rocket was.

"I hope you realize I'm losing sleep look for you pal." he yawned.

If the room didn't smell like raccoon, he could probably fall asleep here... it was that quiet.

Another sign Rocket wasn't around.

Gamora and Drax slept in silence (except for when Drax snored) but never Rocket.

Rocket snored and made a wierd little snuffling sound in his sleep.

Peter was pretty sure he had heard Rocket giggle and say, "Murdered you." in his sleep once or twice but he wasn't sure.

"Okay... I imagined the whole thing and Ranger Rick is just chilling out somewhere. Time to go back to bed." he sighed.

Gamora was still curled up on the couch when he passed by and Drax was stumbling back to his room from the kitchen.

"I was unaware you waundered the ship in the night." he muttered.

"Go back to bed big guy." Peter chuckled.

Groot yawned before he blinked up at Peter and wiggled sleepily.

"Hey little guy. Is Rocket in the cockpit?" he asked, prodding the soil gently.

Still moist... should be okay until breakfast.

Groot shook his head and yawned again.

"Go back to sleep then." he told the sapling, sliding back down the ladder to his room.

Just as he settled down to sleep, he heard a scratching sound... in the wall.

"What the...?" he asked.

One of the panels in the wall opened and Rocket tumbled out, looking worse for wear. The fur on his face was matted from sleep and wet from... tears.

"Rocket?" Peter called softly.

"Pete?" Rocket whispered, looking around. His eyes were unfocused and he was shaking badly.

"Were you screaming earlier?" Peter asked carefully.

"You heard that?" Rocket whimpered.

Peter rolled off his bed, crouching close to the floor so not to startle the raccoon.

"Those bastards... they did this... they made me a freak... a monster." Rocket sobbed, tugging on his ears.

"Rocket... stop. Stop before you hurt yourself." Peter said, grabbing his jacket and kneeling in front of Rocket.

Rocket whined loudly and doubled over, curling his tail around his feet as he shivered.

"You're not a freak okay? Or a monster." Peter whispered as he slid his jacket around Rocket's shoulders.

"They put these things in me." Rocket growled.

"I know... I saw the video playing in your room. But you're not a little freak or monster. You are a crazy, trigger happy, insanely clever, mean as shit, bomb making fur ball. And I wouldn't have you any other way." Peter whispered, rested his forehead against Rocket's as he gently rubbed his ears.

Rocket growled softly but he let himself be petted as he burst into tears.

"Rocket... man... I gotta get some sleep." Peter yawned.

"Okay." Rocket whispered, slipping out of the jacket and heading back to the open panel he had emerged from.

"Hey!" Peter called, flopping on his bed and patting his chest.

"I ain't your pet." Rocket growled, reconizing the "come here" motion.

"No... you're not. Sorry." Peter apologized as he set his Walkman and headphones on his little bedside shelf.

Rocket watched him for a moment before diving under the jacket and then hopping onto Peter's chest, dragging the jacket with him. Peter let him get situated under his jacket before he let his hand settle about where Rocket's shoulder was. Rocket tensed for a moment before relaxing.

"Why were you in the wall?" Peter asked after a few minutes.

"Got a tunnel there." Rocket shrugged, reaching out to move Peter's headphone's closer to them.

"A tunnel?" Peter asked as his Walkman clicked on.

"Yeap. Got a bunch of them running through the ship." Rocket yawned, adjusting the volume.

Peter smirked and yawned as Moonage Daydream filled the room and eventually drifted throughout the ship.

Gamora lifted her head to listen to the song before smiling as she reconized it as Rocket's favorite.

Drax rolled over and chuckled softly. "He was in search of the furry mammal." he whispered.

Groot smiled contently in his sleep when he heard the song.

He didn't understand the words to any of Peter's songs but he knew the music.

It wasn't the song he liked to dance to but it was enough to make him sway a little bit.

**_Author: Ty to my co-worker (same one from Rocket's Toybox) for the idea of Rocket having tunnels all over the ship._**

**_PS: to those wondering about chapter 1 of Everyone Needs a Guardian. I do have plans for more chapters. And since Rocket's condition is a major plot point: I'm not telling anything._**


End file.
